Behind the Beams: Stories from Tomlinson’s Engineers

Welcome to Red Army Radio! Today, Francis sits down with Andrew Karam, Kaylish Henry, and Matthew Young-Davies from Tomlinson’s engineering team. In this episode, we dive into the world of temporary and permanent structures, the challenges of shoring and piling, and what it’s really like to be the in-house engineers behind some of Tomlinson’s most complex projects. Andrew shares how the team has grown from a one-person operation into an internal consulting group serving bridge, shoring, and infrastructure projects across the company. Kaylish and Matt talk about their paths from summer students to engineers-in-training, and how they’re applying classroom knowledge in the real world. Together, they reveal why having an in-house engineering makes us more productive, while also driving innovation on site. From terrifying excavation rescues to creative re-use of bridge girders, this episode showcases the ingenuity, judgment, and teamwork that power Tomlinson’s engineering solutions. Episode Highlights: Andrew’s nine-year journey from sole engineer to team lead. Kaylish’s start as a summer student and her path toward her P.Eng. Matt’s move from survey to engineering and his first major design projects. The difference between formwork and falsework—explained simply. Why internal engineering saves time, money, and avoids costly revisions. A near-disaster excavation project and how underpinning saved the day. Designing a massive heated enclosure for winter canal rehabilitation in Kingston. Team insights on choosing steel vs. concrete  The most satisfying part of being an engineering Key Takeaways: “Eight hundred thousand to a million pounds of force down - which is terrifying because it’s supposed to be on rock, and it’s not.” “It was a really cool slash terrifying project… but we got it done.” “I just really love understanding how things work on a fundamental level.” “Just going to site and seeing everything that you’ve built… that’s what makes me tick.” “We do structural engineering for everyone… come to us with all your needs and we’ll get it done.”